OUCAGS in BMJ Letter of the Week about clinical academic careers

18 January 2016

OUCAGS’ most recent contribution to the debate about clinical academic careers was a rapid-response to BMJ article ‘It’s the duty of every doctor to get involved with research’. We argued that health and healthcare require sufficient numbers of doctors to actually take up clinical academic careers, rather than just being involved in research. The BMJ highlighted our contribution as Letter of the Week on 9th January.

In response to the article “It’s the duty of every doctor to get involved with research”, OUCAGS’s letter argued that it is not enough just to have large numbers of doctors involved in research. Sufficient numbers also need to take up clinical academic careers, as clinical academics working as principal investigators make significant contributions to the research and the translation of outcomes to patient care.

OUCAGS also highlighted that, although research funders have been making efforts to support clinical academic careers, the issue of dwindling numbers of clinical academics is not fully resolved, and must continue to be addressed.

An area of particular concern is post-doctoral progression, since each year an appreciable number of Clinical Lecturer posts go unfilled. It is to examine the underlying reasons for this that OUCAGS has established Clinical DPhil Paths – a longitudinal study of career decision-making amongst medically qualified doctoral students registered at our institution. Preliminary findings indicate that, of UK doctors who intend to mainly work in clinical academic posts in the long-term, only 66% are extremely or very likely to seek a Clinical Lectureship in England. This is somewhat surprising, given their stated career plans; the complex underlying issues need exploring to generate evidence-based strategies for the further enhancement of clinical academic careers.

OUCAGS’ BMJ Letter of the Week (scroll down to last page of document)

About the Clinical DPhil Paths study

Sudden cardiac death in young people may be preventable, finds Dr Rina Ariga, Clinical Lecturer at Oxford

3 July 2019

A new scanning technique may enable doctors to diagnose hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. Such is the finding of the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology by Dr Rina Ariga and colleagues.

Multi-use thermometers pose 'Candida auris' risk, finds Dr David Eyre, OUCAGS Clinical Lecturer

1 May 2018

According to Dr David Eyre, OUCAGS Clinical Lecturer, multi-use patient equipment can contribute to health-care associated outbreaks of infection, such as that caused by 'Candida auris'.

Oxford-UCL study: clinical academics need better postdoctoral opportunities

29 August 2017

An Oxford-UCL study of the career plans of doctors doing PhDs has been published in BMJ Open: ‘The clinical academic workforce of the future: a cross-sectional study of factors influencing career decision-making among clinical PhD students at two research-intensive UK universities’.

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with adverse brain outcomes, finds Dr Topiwala, OUCAGS Clinical Lecturer

9 June 2017

Moderate drinking has no protective effect on the brain and is in fact associated with brain decline. Such is the finding of the Oxford-UCL study led by Dr Anya Topiwala, OUCAGS Clinical Lecturer.

Women in Science: Oxford’s new site to support women developing academic careers

1 June 2016

Women in Science is Oxford University’s new site featuring women scientists who are developing academic careers. The site provides an opportunity for visitors to explore a broad range of personal career experiences, which are shared in video interviews by female scientists, including many clinical academics.

BMJ blog: OUCAGS Clinical Lecturer on effective mentoring and clinical academic careers

14 April 2016

Dr Kamal Mahtani, GP Clinical Lecturer at the University of Oxford, discusses the importance of mentoring in clinical academic careers, and what makes for good mentors and receptive mentees.